By Martin Robinson, Chief Reporter For Mailonline
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Harry and Meghan may now have made more than £100million since Megxit bolstered by huge sums from Spare with three more money-spinning books on the way.
The couple having been taking big steps towards building what experts believe could become a $1billion business empire in the US unless their popularity continues to dwindle.
Harry’s new bombshell book Spare has been selling well and the exiled royal is rumoured to have pocketed a £16 million ($20 million) advance.
This huge sum builds on the mega deals they have signed with Spotify for £25million ($30m) and Netflix for £81million ($100m).
Here’s what we know about the Sussexes’ £109million of deals for movies, television and podcasts – plus their other sources of wealth, including properties and cash. Forbes suggests that their net worth could now be £118million (£135m).
Harry and Meghan continue to rake in huge sums since Megxit, with Spare being the latest money spinner
Book deals – £16million ($20m)
Harry and Meghan are said to have signed a four-book deal worth upwards of £16 million ($20 million) with the publishing giant Penguin Random House.
And its sales have been huge. In the US Spare sold 629,300 print copies its first week – just short of Barack Obama’s record of 831,300 copies.
In Britain Spare has sold 750,000 copies across all formats – hardback, audio and e book – in the UK since its publication on January 10.
Copies of Britain’s Prince Harry’s autobiography ‘Spare’ are displayed at Waterstones bookstore
Harry is widely reported to have secured £16 million ($20 million) last year as an advance.
He paid ghostwriter JJ Moehringer $1million for the book.
He said that ‘proceeds’ from the book will go to UK charities. He has already given £1.2million ($1.5m) to Sentebale, which helps children in Southern Africa at risk of HIV. He has also handed £750,000 ($671,000) to WellChild.
It is not known what percentage of royalties he has negotiated, and whether ‘proceeds’ amount to all the cash he makes from sales.
Spare is not the only book Harry will release, because the Penguin Random House deal is for four books.
The Duke of Sussex was said to be writing another book that he had always planned to write and publish after the Queen’s death
Meghan is also said to be looking at a wellness guide. The fourth book planned is a mystery.
Meghan’s 167-word picture book, The Bench, came with a £500,000 advance ($618,000) and became a New York Times bestseller. But the sales never emerged amid mixed reviews, with critics branding it: ‘Soothing, loving, although a little schmaltzy in places’.
The former Suits star also helped make a cookbook, raising funds for the West London community hit by the Grenfell fire.
Netflix – £81million ($100m)
Netflix promised the six-part documentary series would tell the story of the Duke and Duchess’s relationship as it’s never been told before
Harry and Meghan announced their deal with Netflix just six months after setting up home in California in March 2020, saying they wanted to provide ‘hope and inspiration’ by teaming up with the streaming goliath.
The Duke and Duchess said their company, unnamed at the time but now known as Archewell Productions, would make documentaries, feature films, scripted shows and children’s programming.
It’s previously been reported that the Duke and Duchess were ‘at odds’ with the production staff on their Netflix docuseries as the ‘panicked’ couple wanted to make ‘such extensive edits’ that the team believe the project could be ‘shelved indefinitely’ following the death of the Queen.
Their Netflix documentary was eventually released at the end of last year – packed with attacks on the Royal Family.
It proved to be a hit for the streaming service with nearly 2.5 million people watching the first episode on the day of its launch in the UK.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex also fronted and executive produced the series Live to Lead in conjunction with The Nelson Mandela Foundation, which was launched with a glossy two-minute trailer in December.
But the Mail revealed, the seven-part project – which was inspired by the late South African leader streamed from New Year’s Eve- was actually devised by the Foundation as a charitable endeavour in 2019.
They then received a snub from Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s outgoing prime minister and one of the guests, who put out a statement saying signed up for the project well before the Sussexes were onboard.
Nelson Mandela’s granddaughter then tore into Harry and Meghan, accusing them of ‘stealing’ the statesman’s words and using his name to ‘make millions’ on the show.
Spotify – £25million ($30m)
Meghan Markle’s Archetypes series has ended with no clue yet if there will be a second series of the show
Archetypes was part of Meghan and Harry’s £18million deal with the streaming giant.
Meghan spoke with friends, celebrities, historians and experts about the history of stereotypes that women face, with a few appearances from her husband.
Spotify had reportedly become impatient with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle about the pace of recordings – 12 episodes in two years – until it was eventually released at a rate of one episode per week last year.
There was a brief pause when the Queen died and Meghan and Harry were in Britain.
There have also been remarks about how far down the charts her podcast and individual episodes had dropped.
In September MailOnline told how Spotify had been accused of wrongly using its own official podcast chart to keep Meghan Markle at No 1 when she was lagging behind Joe Rogan and other stars in terms of daily listeners.
At the time Archetypes was ranked as the ‘Top Podcast’ in the US, the UK and all of Spotify’s main English-speaking markets – the first two shows with Mariah Carey and Serena Williams are as low as 25 – and no higher than five – in the streaming giant’s own ‘Top Episodes’ rankings.
It is not clear is Archetypes will return for a second series.
Property – £11million ($14.7m)
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s $14.7million home in Santa Barbara, California, is seen above
They also took out a £7.5million mortgage on their nine-bed, 13 bathroom, £11million ($14.7m) mansion in Montecito, California.
With the cash rolling in, it is possible that the couple have paid off some or all the loan, but it’s not clear based on US records.
However, they clearly grabbed a bargain, in California terms. The previous owner Russian magnate Sergey Grishin, paid £20.4million ($25.3 million) in 2009.
But it’s no doubt that they will have made a huge profit on their Santa Barbara property, which sits on a five acres of prime land close to mountains and beaches.
Inheritance and existing wealth – £30million ($37m)
Diana left £21million to her sons William and Harry, to be held in trust until they turned 25.
Estimates now put Harry’s portion at up to £20million as it gained value over time.
The duke also received an estimated £7million from the Queen Mother’s will after she died in 2002. Meghan was said to be £4million.
When she starred in US TV drama Suits she was paid £2million. She also raked in six-figure sums for film roles and owns property in Toronto.
Before stepping back from royal duties in December 2019, Harry received the vast majority of his income from the Duchy of Cornwall – a portfolio of property and financial investments managed by Prince Charles.
For the financial year 2018-19, this amounted to more than £5million. It is believed Charles, who initially continued to fund the couple, withdrew financial support from the duchy when it became clear their move to the US was permanent.
Speaking circuit – up to £800,000 per event ($1m)
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (pictured in New York) were named as Ripple Of Hope Award laureates by the Robert F Kennedy Human Rights (RFKHR) organisation for the work they do through their Archewell Foundation.
GDA Speakers, whose clients include Nicole Kidman and Diane Keaton, said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would attract much higher fees than regular celebrities, even without their HRH titles.
In November wealthy Americans spent up to $1million per ticket to rub shoulders with Prince Harry and Markle at a glittering New York gala. Experts have said that both could ask that for a speech.
But in a leaked contract in 2020, an event creator warned that many organisations will ‘raise their eyebrows’ at the couple’s demands.
‘Harry and Meghan coming on the speaker circuit is certainly as significant as the likes of President Obama or Arnold Schwarzenegger,’ read a virtual event request form by the Harry Walker Agency.
‘So back then figures between the 750k and $1m mark seemed steep, but possible. Realistically their earnings range is closer to $250k to $400k.
‘The contract paperwork appears to read that the speakers have full control of the client’s event. It certainly raises eyebrows and will put off many potential large corporations.
‘Not many clients ever like inviting talent as star guests, who may be seen as running their event and telling them what to do.’
After Barack Obama left office, one of the ways he made money immediately was through private speaking engagements. In 2017, one speech to a private equity group paid him £300,000 ($400,000).
Harry and Meghan have also made money through speeches. Among their first was one at a JP Morgan conference in Miami.
Jobs – Unknown but likely to be millions of dollars
The Duke of Sussex is the chief impact officer at BetterUp
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle backed a ‘hippy’ Wall Street investment firm in October 2021.
It owns tens of millions of dollars of shares in Twitter, Facebook and YouTube’s owner Google despite the couple decrying the ‘hate’ they have encountered online and their personal crusade against fake news.
Ethic, where Harry and Meghan are ‘impact partners’, has pumped clients’ money into the world’s largest social media platforms alongside oil companies and the biggest corporations in America as part of its business managing $1.3billion of investments for around 1,000 wealthy clients.
Harry and Meghan are investing their own money in Ethic, and are also reportedly shareholders, despite both of them previously criticising social media firms the investment firm has bought shares in.
Meghan and Harry are impact partners’ and investors at sustainable investing firm Ethic. The co-founders of Ethic, Johny Mair (pictured left, right) and Jay Lipman, say they ‘love hippies’ to invest with them
In March 2021 Harry landed a job as an executive at a Silicon Valley life-coaching firm in a deal which could net him millions.
Harry was appointed ‘chief impact officer’ for San Francisco-based start-up BetterUp Inc.
As well as having a full say in ‘strategic’ decisions, the prince – who had vowed not to cash in on his royal credentials – is a public face for the business. His photograph is already prominently displayed on the firm’s website alongside the words ‘Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex’.
He has appeared in videos, at events and publicity material.
Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd
Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group